Are Emotional Intelligence and Contagion Moderators of the Association between Students' Perceptions of Instructors' Nonverbal Immediacy Cues and Students' Affect?

Abstract

This study explored students' emotional intelligence and contagion as moderators of the association between their perceptions of instructors' nonverbal immediacy cues and their affect for the course and the instructor. Participants included 305 undergraduate students. Hierarchical regression revealed no significant interaction effects for emotional intelligence or contagion, though emotional intelligence emerged as a significant predictor of students' affect for instructors even after controlling for immediacy. Consequently, students with high levels of emotional intelligence may be more likely to experience affect for their instructors than students with low levels of emotional intelligence, independent of their instructors' immediacy cues.

Keywords:

• Emotional Contagion
• Emotional Intelligence
• Instructional Communication
• Nonverbal Immediacy
• Student Affect

This study was part of the first author's thesis completed under the direction of the second author.

Notes

Note. NIM = Nonverbal immediacy.

†p = .051. ∗p < .01.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tiffany R. Wang

Tiffany R. Wang (M.S., Texas Christian University, 2009) is a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Paul Schrodt

Paul Schrodt (Ph.D., University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2003) is the Philip J. and Cheryl C. Burguières Professor, Associate Professor, and Graduate Director of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University.